Film Discussion Guide
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FILM DISCUSSION GUIDE Office of Sustainability student interns created questions for these sustainability- related documentaries to help facilitate a conversation after watching the film. To see related discussion questions, click the name of the movie. If you know of other movies you would like to see on this list or if you have any questions, please contact our office. TABLE OF CONTENTS AMONG GIANTS ........................................................................................................................................ 2 BLUE GOLD ................................................................................................................................................. 2 CARBON NATION ...................................................................................................................................... 2 EATING ALABAMA ..................................................................................................................................... 3 FAST FOOD NATION ................................................................................................................................. 3 FED UP ......................................................................................................................................................... 3 FOOD CHAINS ............................................................................................................................................ 4 FOOD INC.................................................................................................................................................... 4 FORKS OVER KNIVES ................................................................................................................................. 5 FUTURE OF FOOD ..................................................................................................................................... 6 HAPPY .......................................................................................................................................................... 6 HOME ........................................................................................................................................................... 6 KILOWATT OURS ....................................................................................................................................... 6 KING CORN ................................................................................................................................................. 7 LAST CALL AT THE OASIS ......................................................................................................................... 7 LET’S BAN THE BEAD ................................................................................................................................ 7 NO IMPACT MAN ....................................................................................................................................... 7 PLASTIC PARADISE .................................................................................................................................... 8 STORY OF BOTTLED WATER .................................................................................................................... 8 STORY OF BROKE ...................................................................................................................................... 8 STORY OF CAP AND TRADE ..................................................................................................................... 8 STORY OF CHANGE ................................................................................................................................... 8 STORY OF CITIZENS UNITED VS. FEC..................................................................................................... 9 STORY OF COSMETICS ............................................................................................................................. 9 STORY OF ELECTRONICS ......................................................................................................................... 9 STORY OF SOLUTIONS ............................................................................................................................. 9 STORY OF STUFF ...................................................................................................................................... 10 TAPPED ...................................................................................................................................................... 10 WAL-MART: THE HIGH COST OF LOW PRICE ..................................................................................... 10 YEARS OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY ....................................................................................................... 11 AMONG GIANTS Are the activist’s tactics for environmental justice too extreme? How can the “tree-huggers” channel their energy to reach the public more effectively? Did their actions prevent a great deal of ecosystem destruction? How has the environmental movement evolved in recent decades? BLUE GOLD Should water be privatized or remain a public good? Where does your tap water come from? (Lake Ogletree) What do you think is the number one source of water pollution in Auburn? Is bottled water ethical? Is access to fresh, clean water a human right? CARBON NATION How have you seen evidence of climate change in your life? What changes have your elders mentioned; more droughts or heat waves, record cold temperatures, more intense storms? What do you see as the energy source of the future? Are any of this film’s proposed solutions to climate change feasible in the near future? How deeply ingrained are our nation’s politics in regards to carbon pollution? EATING ALABAMA What are the benefits of eating locally-sourced food? What are the drawbacks of eating locally-sourced food? Are there any actions that the industrial agricultural complex can take to reduce their ecological damages? Are all chemical fertilizers dangerous/unnecessary? FAST FOOD NATION Of all the drawbacks of the American system of fast food production (health, labor, environment) what is most important to you? Are there benefits to fast food? Do they outweigh the drawbacks? Children are often the targets for fast food marketing. Do you think this is ethical? Was the creation of the fast food industry inevitable? What do you think plays a bigger role in the fast food industry, the current nature of the American Family or the technology that allows companies such as McDonalds to produce food in a cheap and fast way? Could you/have you sworn off fast food? Why? A very common current issue in today’s society is the minimum wage of fast food workers. Do you think fast food workers should be earning $15 per hour? FED UP What do you think of the statement “Sugar Is Poison?” What do you believe the role of the Government should be when it comes to eating healthy? What needs to change in America to make kids healthier? Did watching this movie want you to make changes to how and what you personally eat? Why? What do you think it means to be healthy? FOOD CHAINS Farmworkers are among the lowest paid workers in America. How does this make you feel/what do you think about this? Do you think the extra penny per pound rule is fair? Why would someone be for/against this deal? Some call modern farm workers as “modern day slavery”. Do you think this is a fair statement? When you are shopping for food after seeing this film, will you look for companies that take better care of farm workers? ven if the food may be more expensive? Do you think you could pick close to 500 pounds of tomatoes in a day? Do you think this is a fair task? FOOD INC. Do people have the right to know what is in their food? Did you know how much corn was in the food you eat? Whose responsibility should is it to inform people about what is in their food? Should the producers be clearer or should we seek this information out on our own? The movie points out that cows and farm-raised fish, which are not biologically suited to eating corn, are now given a modified diet that is based on corn. Do you think people’s diets have been modified in a similar way? Do animals have the right to a certain quality of life? As consumers do we have the right to know how certain animals, such as chickens, are being raised? FOOD MATTERS Are you for or against the use of pesticides on food? Food may have toxic chemicals on it but they also grow bigger and faster so they are cheaper and more available. What do you think is more important? Do you think you could change your diet so that 51% of the food you eat is raw? What are some of the potential health hazards if you are eating the wrong foods? Do you think doctors should be required to have nutritional education? If vitamins and other supplements such as spirulina are so healthy and effective, why don’t more people use them? The only legal ways to cure cancer in the US are surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy; in many countries (including the US), it is illegal to treat cancer with nutrition. What do you think of this? FORKS OVER KNIVES What may keep persons who are aware of this movie and its message from making changes to their diet? Do you believe that eating certain foods is an ethical issue? Were you aware of the connection between deforestation of the Amazon rainforest and raising cattle for human consumption?